Scout
by MariachiAssassin
Summary: Blaine is raising his daughter, content to spend the summer with her & his brother's family. However, meeting a certain someone may change some plans. Eventual Klaine. Badboy!Kurt, Futurefic, & AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters associated with the show.**

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><p>Blaine settled into the wood of the bench, reaching down to check that Sebastian's leash was secured to the leg. Not that the dog was going to move anytime soon. Poor Sebastian was so tired from the very enthusiastic fetch session that he was just laying very happily in the fresh June air. Blaine chuckled as his canine companion made a sound that was reminiscent of a contented sigh.<p>

Blaine smiled as he adjusted his glasses, scanning the playground for the amber poof of hair that he called his own. She was fairly easy to spot with her hair splayed about her head like a large frizzy halo and mocha skin glowing in the warm sun.

Currently, Joanna was standing at the top of one of the many slides, letting other children know when it was safe to slide down as to not cause a jam. Blaine grinned as Jo gave a thumbs up a small boy of about 4 and watched him gleefully whirl down the spiral slide.

"That's just like her", Blaine said to no one in particular, thinking of how his daughter was constantly making sure everyone was safe. Recently, she had come into the habit of politely reminding strangers to look both ways before crossing the street. Not that Joanna didn't know about "Stranger Danger" because Blaine frequently explained the danger of getting too close to strangers but her innocent prodding was just too cute. The father chuckled as he remembered just two weeks ago as his daughter politely tapped the 20-something women covered in tattoos & piercings with hair spiked in order to tell her to be careful and check both ways before crossing the street. The young woman smiled warmly and gave Jo an enthusiastic thumbs up before dramatically checking for cars.

It really did make Blaine proud that his little girl wasn't intimidated by the woman's appearance. Realistically, she just wanted to make sure everyone was safe in this crazy, crazy world. Blaine could picture his child as a doctor or a nurse, but seeing as how barely two months ago she wanted to be a pirate, who knew what the future held. Most of all, Blaine was just happy that his baby girl was happy. He watched her laugh at something beyond his ears, her head thrown back, mouth wide, a musical laugh reaching his ears over the cacophony of the play ground.

"She deserves to be happy," again, muttering to no one, his mind thinking back to just a few years ago. Joanna was pressed into his chest, sobbing loudly as Blaine just hugged her closer, smoothing her mass of curls to plant kisses to her head in an attempt to calm her.

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><p><em> Blaine sighed deeply as the clock quietly struck 8:30, marking an answer wrong on the music theory quiz in front of him. It was still pretty early, Joanna having just gone to bed, but Blaine was just tired. Joanna had been acting out in preschool lately and Blaine had to meet with her teacher with a later talk with Jo about not hitting people if they said something mean. He moved to grade the next quiz when he heard a soft "Daddy" from the living room. Blaine pushed his chair back, looking to see his daughter in the hall, clutching her stuffed giraffe, her face stained with tears. Blaine quickly moved to her, kneeling to her level, stroking her hair back.<em>

_ "What's wrong, Q?" he whispered._

_ Joanna lurched into his arms, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck wailing, "Why doesn't Mama love me anymore?"_

_ Blaine's heart dropped as he scooped up his daughter, holding her close. "Aww sweetheart, don't say that. Why do you think that?"_

_ Joanna hiccuped and slowly sputtered, "Sh-sh-she doesn't wa-wa-wanna b-b-be my mommy anymore. Sh-she left me."_

_ Blaine swallowed hard, picking up her small form, cradling her close as he walked to the big arm chair in the living room, settling comfortably with Joanna in his lap. He hugged her close as she sobbed, placing kisses to her head._

_ "That's not true, babygirl. Your mommy loves you very much. She just can't be your mama right now but she wants to be very much. So she is trying to get better so she can be the best mama to you."_

_ Joanna's cries subsided as she held tighter to her father. Blaine closed his eyes, burying his head into her soft golden curls knowing that out of utter desperation, he just lied to his daughter._

_ Her "mother" didn't love her and she was never coming back._

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><p>Blaine was pulled out of his reverie by a deep bark from Sebastian. The dog was standing now and pointed towards Blaine's left. Blaine followed his dog's gaze, waving as he spotted his niece and nephew skipping his way, their father not far behind.<p>

"Sebastian!", the children called out as they reached the dog who welcomed their scratches and strokes.

"And hello to you, too!" Blaine said jokingly as he stuck out his tongue at the kids.

"Hi, Uncle Blaine!" The young girl exclaimed, reaching her arms up waiting for the dark haired man to pick her up. Blaine lifted her over his head blowing a raspberry on the giggling girl's stomach.

"Hello, Miss Abigail. Joanna is at the top of the slide if you want to find her. Just look for the cape.", he said, setting his niece on her feet.

"Joanna has a cape?" the young boy exclaimed, almost incredulously.

Blaine smiled and nodded as Abigail began to tug her brother towards the playground.

"Well now Nick is going to be begging for a cape so thanks for that, dear brother." The tall man mused as he sank into the bench next to his younger brother, absently petting Sebastian.

"No problem, Coop." Blaine laughed, looking at his brother. "What's new?"

"Nothing really. Abigail hasn't had any accidents lately so that's the biggest news in our Anderson household. How about yours?" Cooper asked.

"Happy for the summer. Spending time with Joanna and you guys is basically the only thing on my agenda for the next few weeks. What's Melissa up to?" The short of the two asked.

Cooper just shrugged. "Something about some finance something yadda yadda. She is making money."

Blaine chuckled. "That she is. Will she be over for dinner? Joanna picked spaghetti."

Cooper nodded and adjusted his sunglasses. "Of course. Tradition is more important than money."

Blaine grinned. "Or so you like to think," jabbing his brother's arm lightly.

Cooper grinned and turned to Blaine. "Sooooooooooo...?" drawing out the sound, eliciting a groan from Blaine. "Oh, that bad?"

Blaine shrugged, glancing towards the children. "No. The date was nice. But he was just too much for me. And he expected me to pay. As in he didn't even try or act like he would. Just motioned for our server to hand me the check and gave me a look. That put me off a bit so I politely declined after dinner 'drinks'" Blaine air quoted for emphasis, "and I went home."

Cooper sighed. "Oh, little brother, when will we find some guy who 'tickles'", Cooper paused to use some overly enthusiastic air quotes, openly mocking his brother, "your fancy?"

Blaine groaned again and gave his brother a shove. "No thanks, Mister Matchmaker. Besides, it is summer. Officially family time. No need for a guy."

Cooper just shrugged, turning his attention to his niece and daughter cheering his son across the monkey bars. "So why does Joanna have a cape?" Cooper quipped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters associated with the show.**

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><p>"Sebastian wins!" Joanna cried out as the big dog pawed the front door to the apartment.<p>

"I think he cheated!" quipped Blaine, giving Sebastian a dirty look as he approaches the door, fumbling in his pockets for the keys.

"You're just jealous, Daddy." The girl argued, wrapping her arms around the (mostly) Saint Bernard's thick neck, sticking her tongue out at her father.

Blaine laughed, ruffling his daughter's hair before sliding the key into the lock, opening the door with his free hand.

Sebastian and Joanna tumbled through, the dog making a beeline for his waiting food bowl while Joanna took off for the kitchen nearly tripping in the hall. Blaine laughed, casually dropping his keys into the bowl by the door, using his heel to push the door closed behind him. He strode into the kitchen to find Joanna perched on the counter, apron already tied, feet dangling and swinging in the air.

"And what have I told you about sitting on the counters?" Blaine asked, placing the paper bag on the counter next to his daughter.

"That butts were made for seats and the counter is not a seat." The six year old hung her head dejectedly.

Blaine nodded as he began to unload the groceries for that night's dinner, opening the fridge to put away the lettuce and vegetables.

"But Daddy," Joanna began, head still down, "something important is happening."

Blaine stopped and looked at his daughter. She looked so sad with her head down, staring only at the floor, far below her feet. He eyed her quizzically, moving in front of her, taking her face in his hands. Looking into her exquisitely bright blue eyes, Blaine asked "What's wrong, Q?"

Joanna's face broke into a toothy grin (or well it would be if she has not just lost her top left front tooth) and her eyes lit up like the 4th of July. "The floor is becoming lava!" she shrieked, laughing as her father yelped and scrambled to hop onto the counter next to her. "And now this counter is the best seat in the house." Joanna smiled up at her daddy.

Blaine laughed wholeheartedly before wrapping his arms around Jo. "Well, you've definitely got a point there, but how long can we last here?" Blaine raised his hand to act as a visor, scanning the "horizon" for more "lava."

Joanna shrugged and said "Don't know but we won't go hungry!"

Blaine laughed again, leaning to place a kiss to his daughter's forehead. "That may be true but it is family night and we have to get cracking on dinner if we want to feed your constantly hungry uncle."

Joanna laughed this time wondering out loud, "How does Uncle Cooper eat so much?" She jumped off the counter, offering a hand to help her father.

Blaine grasps her hand "Why thank you, my dear Joanna." and eases off the counter, letting just the toe of his sneaker touch the floor. "Can never be too sure about floor temperatures after a lava attack." Blaine answered his daughter's questioning look before settling on his own two feet.

"Now where are the noodles?"

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><p>"Moooooooom! Tell Jo that isn't the way to do it! She is doing it wrong!" Nick spat out in an annoyed tone.<p>

"Not uh! Dad! I am not wrong! Tell Nick that this is the way to eat spaghetti!" Joanna stabbed the middle of her pile of pasta, twirling her fork feverishly with both hands.

"But that's not right!" Nick yelped, "Uncle Blaine! That's not how it works!"

"Both of you need to stop arguing." Melissa Anderson replied sternly. She smiled looking at her son and niece, her voice softening to a more pleasurable tone. "Now we go over this every time we have noodles. There are many ways to eat pasta. Joanna, you like to twirl." The petite brunette twirled her pasta around her fork in the air. "And Nicholas, you like to scoop and shovel." She shoved her fork into her noodles and sauce, lifting the heap in the air. "All that matters is that the spaghetti makes it into your mouth and not on your clothes. Right?"

The cousins nodded, continuing to glare at each other when they thought the adults weren't looking.

"I like spaghetti" Abigail bubbled, taking a big bite to punctuate her sentence.

"So do I, Abs." Cooper Anderson added, touching a finger to the four year old's nose as he took another bite of his pasta and meat sauce.

Joanna turned to her uncle and blankly asked, "Is there a food that you don't like, Uncle Cooper?"

Blaine laughed, answering before his brother. "If it is food, your uncle is going to eat it. No matter what." The table erupted into laughter amidst Cooper's scoffs of "That's not true!" Melissa leaned over and placed a kiss to her husband's cheek. "Just accept it, sweetheart."

Cooper Anderson shot a harmless glare at his baby brother before breaking into a grin. "Well, I may like to eat," he takes a huge bite of spaghetti to prove his point, chewing and swallowing thoughtfully, "but it is okay because eating all of my dinner helped me grow big, strong and _tall_." The older male emphasized the last word pointedly.

Blaine looks aghast. "Joanna, did you hear that? Your uncle just made fun of my height. You know that that means." Blaine crossed his arms across his chest, shaking his head dramatically, dark curls bouncing.

Joanna places her fork next to plate, mimicking the body language of her father. "That means no dessert, Uncle Cooper, because you were mean."

It is Cooper who now looks shocked. He placed his hand over his heart. "Oh no! But what shall I do? You know I love brownies!"

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><p>Blaine looked down at his daughter, snuggled comfortably under bright green sheets next to him. He watched her eyes move over every word as she read the story out loud to him, saying the words with ease. He beamed with pride as she determinedly stopped and analyzed a difficult word, never asking her father for help as she managed perfectly. Blaine closed his eyes just listening to her delighted voice recount the story. His musings continued as he thought of how excited she had been to begin this book in the series, eyes shining like the sea as he got it off the shelf. Blaine opened his eyes to find Joanna looking at him perplexed.<p>

"Is it your bedtime, Daddy?" The young girl asked. "You were sleeping."

Blaine chuckled. "Not at all, sweetheart. I was just thinking of how lucky I am to have you, the smartest girl in this galaxy, as my daughter." He smiled and took the book from her. "Is it my turn to read?"

Joanna nodded, moving closer to her father's side. "You can go over the two page rule if you want though, " she grinned up at him, clearly eager to hear more about those four Pevensie children and why they were important to the other stories.

Blaine chortled, "We will see," and began reading out loud, voice changing with every character. Joanna sighed contentedly as he brought the story alive, images spinning through her mind.

Sooner than Joanna would have liked, Blaine finished his part of the story, closing the book in his lap. "What do you think?"

Joanna yawned. "I like it. I wonder what happens next."

Blaine moved her mass of curls out of her fact, placing a kiss to her nose. "Well I guess you will just have to wait until tomorrow. But now it is time for sleeping." Blaine moved from the bed, tucking the covers around his daughter's almost sleeping form. He knelt next to her bed, giving her a quick hug. "Q, I love you to infinity and beyond."

"And I love you that much plus one," the small girl replied sleepily as she closed her eyes, tucking one hand under her cheek comfortably. "Goodnight, Daddy."

With one last look at Jo's resting form, Blaine reach to flip off the bedside lamp, encasing the room in darkness. "Goodnight, baby girl." Blaine whispered as he backed out of her room, slowly closing the door until just an inch or so separated the door from the jam.

Blaine smiled as he walked back into the kitchen, flipping on the low overhead lights, filling the room with a warm glow. His socked feet crossed the floor silently as he made his way to the dishwasher, popping the door open with a click.

The apartment was quiet save for Sebastian's snores and the musical tinkling of glasses as Blaine juggled them in his arms, moving to put them in the cabinets. Blaine pushed in the top rack and pulled out the bottom rack with one smooth gesture. He began to hum softly as plates and bowls found their way to their respective homes. The 29 year old man smiled as he pulled out a bright colored, plastic plate, well-worn with a few dings around the edges. Timon and Pumbaa's smiling faces stared blankly back up at him. Blaine's mind wheeled into a new memory.

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><p><em> How many times had they watched this movie in the past week? Countless, probably, but it was worth it. Joanna fell in love with the film so when movie time rolled around, The Lion King it was. Blaine settled deeper into the couch, reaching over to the bright orange popcorn bowl perched on Jo's delicate legs. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Gillian chuckled at something goofy that the meerkat said, a smile lighting up her face. It was good to be together as their own weird little family.<em>

_ The opening of "Hakuna Matata" brought Blaine's attention back to the movie as did Joanna hefting the bowl off her laps and to the table. "Let's dance!" she giggled happily, hopping to the floor, body moving in a way that to her must have been dancing. "C'mon, Mama!" The child pleaded. Gillian looked over at Blaine, her chocolate eyes meeting his hazel orbs. She shrugged and laughed as she rose from the couch, making moves reminiscent of a hand jive. _

_ Blaine watched, grinning as his wife picked up their daughter, spinning her around in a tight circle. Blaine took in the amazing contrast of features between the two. Gillian's creamy pale skin being the milk to the mocha color of Joanna's blending perfectly as they twirled around the room, dancing to the Disney melody. The only similar thing about the two females was the almost similar color of their hair, Joanna's a natural golden amber while Gillian's was a bottled, lighter version. Joanna's crystal blue eyes lit up as they landed on her father, giggling out "Dance, Daddy, dance!"_

_ Blaine moved to his feet, grasping both Gillian & Jo's hands, skipping in a circle with them. The three Andersons lit up with laughter, singing along with the animated characters as they marched through the jungle. The song ended and the three of them collapsed back to the couch, Joanna snuggling between her parents, happy as a fish in the sea. Blaine looked over at Gillian once again, this time catching the grin glued to her face as her eyes were locked to the happy girl._

_ "This is perfect," Blaine mused silently, turning his attention back to the screen._

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><p>Blaine shook his head, dark curls bouncing slightly, as he found himself tearing up and still gripping that plastic plate. The tan man signed and wiped his eyes, muttering "It was perfect" as he began to finish putting away the rest of the clean dishes. He flipped the lights off once he finished, moving into the comfortable living room. Blaine flopped lazily onto the couch, rummaging for the remote under one of the cushions. Sebastian ambled into the room from his protective post by Joanna's door. He looked up at his owner reproachfully.<p>

"Alright, let's get you out real fast." The giant dog wagged his tail appreciatively and headed towards the door. Blaine sat up and moved to the door, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his keys from the bowl. "But we gotta make it quick, we don't want to be away from Joanna for too long." Sebastian seemed to understand, letting out a small "huff" noise. Blaine attached his leash and slipped out the door, locking it securely behind him.

From its position on the coffee table, Blaine's phone lit up with a message from his sister-in-law.

**"Becca is lined up to stay with the kids on Friday night. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. We are going out on the town. :-)"**


End file.
